| The Black Death |
The Hundred Wars' |
The Crusades |
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| The picture above is named, The Black Death. In the picture it is showing a doctor caring for a victim with the plague. The doctor is holding a sweet smelling sponge over his nose and moth. In the medieval times, it was believed that the infection occurred through sense of smell. Even though the real cause of the plague was a bacterium found in the stomach of certain fleas, called Yersin bacillus. The flea is mainly found on the black rat. When the disease broke out they said it came from Asia first. The first case of the Black Death was in October in 1347. Within a few days people began to die. Black boils appeared on the plague victims. Within six months of the plague all of Italy's population was affected. The plague over all killed up to a third of the population. By the year of 1351 the death killed about 23,840,000. The original population was 75 million. In the year of 1351 the Black Death had finished its course. The Black Death caused great economic dislocation. There was a huge loss of workers, yet the workers who survived could claim increased wages up to five times than what it was before the plague. Society underwent great changes from the plague. The feudal system of peasants tied to specific manors and owing labor to the land lords was challenged. Unhappy peasants in one area were welcomed to other manors that where looking for workers. For landlords to keep workers the had to offer better conditions like, lower rents commutation on traditional service requirements, and a change from growing grain to pasturing animals helped to undermine the feudal system. The European religious outlook underwent a change as a result of the Black Death. Because Europeans had no idea what caused the Black Death, many sought relief through prayer. When God did not answer their petitions, they began to question the efficacy of the Catholic Church. |
The picture above is a fifteenth-century depiction of the Battle of Poitiers that took place on September 19, 1356. An engagement of one of the Hundred Years' War, this battle was a devastating defeat for King John ll of France at the hands of the English forces of Edward the Black Prince. The definition of the Hundred Years' War is a series of intermittent battles fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453. The Hundred Years' War drew several medieval states into the destruction wrought by the rivalry between England and France. Nations emerged from the fray greatly transformed, more similar to the nation-states each kingdom eventually became than the late feudal states they had been when the wars began. The Hundred Years' War was also the last time that mounted knights played a significant role in European warfare. Between skilled bowmen, ever-improving siege guns, and new infantry tactics, knights on horseback slipped from their position of military preeminence into leadership roles. The wars’ cannot be attributed to anyone because; England and France had been long rivals. Conflicts were sparked by the dynastic crisis that followed the death of the last Captain King of France, Charles lV. Charles had died without a male heir in 1328; one of the contenders to inherit the throne was England’s king, Edward lll. French nobles didn't like the idea of bring rules by an English king, and they decided that Phillip lV (cousin of deceased king) should take the throne. In1337, Phillip was eager to consolidate his rule and expand his control that he invaded lands that belonged to Edward. Philip's attacks on Edward's lands in France prompted Edward to invade France and claim his right to the French throne. This inaugurated the first phase of the war, one that saw significant English victories, on both land and sea. The first major land battle of the war was the Battle of Crécy in 1346, which ended in victory for the English. In 1356, the English won another victory, the Battle of Poitiers. English forces defeated the French attack on their position, killed thousands of French soldiers, and captured a number of French nobles, including the French king, John II, who had succeeded Philip. Although England had achieved several successes on the battlefield, warfare was a costly enterprise for both sides. In 1360, the two adversaries signed the Treaty of Brétigny, giving the English dominion over Aquitaine in exchange for Edward giving up his claim to the French throne. The dauphin found an inspiring champion in a young peasant girl, Joan of Arc, who led a relief force that resulted in French forces driving back the English. |
The image above is and illuminated manuscript depicting the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 during The First Crusade. It has many soldiers in it and it looks like they are taking over a manor or castle. The meaning of a crusade is a series of small armed conflicts. They took place in the Near East. The Crusades started in AD 1096 and then continued on for several hundred years. They began when Christians from Western Europe set off to recapture the Holy Land (the city of Jerusalem and surrounding areas) from Muslims who had conquered it in the seventh century AD. Although many factors played a role in the decision to embark on the Crusades, European Christians believed that they were fighting a just war. Following the call from Pope Urban, the First Crusade began in 1096. It took place in two main phases. The first phase, known as the People's Crusade or Peasants' Crusade, was probably not what the pope had in mind. Unlike noblemen, peasants could leave for years without making elaborate arrangements for their personal affairs during their absence. Led by a preacher named Peter the Hermit and a knight known as Walter the Penniless, many commoners heeded the pope's call. Untrained in warfare, disorganized, and with meager financial resources, thousands of peasants rushed toward the Byzantine Empire in the spring. Following a treacherous journey, a Muslim ambush wiped out nearly the entire army. The combined armies defeated the Muslims at Nicaea and Antioch, and they finally captured Jerusalem in 1099. The crusaders divided the conquered territory into four states: the County of Edessa, the County of Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem, each ruled by an important noble who had helped lead the crusade. As time went on, the Crusader States required constant European resources and reinforcements because of continuous Muslim attacks. In the third Crusade a brilliant general known as Saladin, destroyed the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187 and gained control of most of its territory. Over the course of the next 200 years, Christians launched other crusades, not only against the Muslims in the Holy Land but also against Egypt, the Muslim Moors in Spain, non-Christians in northern Europe, and Christian heretics. |
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